Swedish dads get the best paternity leave benefits in the world (Shutterstock / AVAVA)

If you’re a new dad Sweden is the place to be. The Scandinavian country’s paternity leave benefits are hands-down the most generous in the world, according to the Wall Street Journal, with fathers being entitled to up to 240 days off of government-paid leave to care for a new baby. And dads can use their days of paid leave however they want up to the child’s 8th birthday. A week, here, an hour there. A few months here.

Now some politicians are arguing that those benefits should become even more generous.

Dads in Sweden are currently required to take a minimum of two months off after the birth of a baby—that is, if they don’t take the two months, they lose the government subsidies, and that option to take up to 240 days. But some hope to see that number increased to three months.

At a recent annual meeting of the country’s ruling liberal Folkpartiet party many members of parliament spoke out in favor of extending the mandatory leave because “the fathers of today are not cavemen with clubs in their hand, according to Folkpartiet party member Lisbet Enbjerde, and these men are taking “an ever increasing responsibility for home and family.

By contrast, in the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) offers most workers up to three months of unpaid job-protected medical leave for birth or adoption. California’s Paid Family Leave Act provides moms and dad with some money but it’s paltry compared to what the Swedes are getting. What’s more only 22 percent of American dads take advantage of the FMLA leave because they can’t afford to take time off. In Sweden more than 80 percent of dads take paternity leave.

Not everyone in Sweden is in favor of increasing the paternity leave benefits. “A report published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates public spending on parental leave cost 0.8% of gross domestic product, or the equivalent of $3.7 billion in 2007 alone,” according to the WSJ.

“We don’t mind if fathers want to take paternal leave, but this is something that families themselves should decide, not the government,” says Emma Henriksson, a member of parliament for the conservative Christian Democrats party, told the WSJ.

And while Swedish dads certainly appreciate the leave and they’re often referred to as the happiest dads in the world, staying at home isn’t all fun and games. Jim Butcher, a 35-year-old dad who works for Spotify Ltd., in Stockholm, shared the truth about his six-month leave with the WSJ.

I’d be lucky to have 30 minutes for myself a day. The rest was just endless cleaning, feeding, changing and picking up. Two weeks into it, [I wondered if was going to last the entire leave] but I’m happy I did it and could bond with my daughter.

Bottom line: Butcher bonded with his kid and I think everyone would agree that kids who have engaged dads are better off.

The Swede’s generous paternity leave policy makes one wonder if the United States should consider offering some better benefits to dads (not to mention moms)? Should those 12 weeks of guaranteed leave at least be paid?